We have worked our way up to Long Island Sound with a combination of sailing and motoring. We spent the Fourth of July in Annapolis taking in the parade and later the fireworks. We had one mishap, we had a storm come through and the signal flags got caught in the wind generator. Once everything had calmed down I got the bosuns chair out and Cori hoisted me up the mizzen mast to unwrap it. No damage done, luckily. We pulled anchor on the 6th and continued our trip.
We headed up the Chesapeake with a light wind behind which gave us a nice ride flying the spinnaker. We stopped for the night and the next day with no wind we motored to the Sassafras River. There was a tropical storm working it's way up the cost and we were forecast to be on the edge of it. Using local knowledge from our friends on SV Minx we anchored in a nice scenic and protected spot. We were next to Mt Harmon Plantation which is a historical site built in 1788. We took the opportunity to tour the site and also get a better cell signal to make some calls. The storm didn't amount to much since we were on the outer edge. After several days we pulled anchor and moved up to the Bohamia River Where SV Minx is moored. First thing on our agenda was a trip to the marina for ice cream. It is HOT! Ice cream doesn't keep in our freezer so it is always a treat on a hot day. The next day after a quick visit with Jay on Minx, some maintenance on the engine and watermaker we decided to pull anchor and continue. By waiting we were able to catch a favorable current through the Chesapeake/Delaware Canal. Once in the Delaware River we started our way down river until evening when we anchored for the night. The next morning we continued on to Cape May where we were going to anchored for several days waiting for favorable winds to continue.
The next morning the forecasts were showing that we wouldn't get a favorable wind until the end of the week and since the winds were calm we decided to head out and motor to Atlantic City and spend the night. We always say that we do not buddy boat well. Buddy boating is when you join up with another or several other boats and travel together. As long as everyone agrees. Our problem is that we will change plans at any time. We decided that it was too early to stop for the day and we wouldn't have wind the next day so we decided to continue on overnight to Atlantic Highlands. The trip continued without a problem until the fog moved in. We were already using our radar to monitor boat traffic around us during the night and once we approached the harbor entrance we were able to use it to monitor the boats and the buoys leading us in. As we approached the anchorage we decided to drop anchor early and wait for the fog to lift before moving into the anchorage. After lunch the fog cleared enough to move and we dropped anchor next to the mooring field. The next morning it was dead calm and the boats at anchor were drifting aimlessly on their anchors. We heard a strange noise and found that we and the boat next to us had drifted close enough that their dinghy was bumping us. We fended them off and decided to re-anchor a little further away. Once the anchor was up we decided to move to the fuel dock and take on fuel and water rather then wait for later. Once anchored again we launched the dinghy and went to shore to make a grocery run. Friday morning is when they have their farmers market. About five years ago when we were here we hit the market and bought some pickles from one of the venders. Once we left and I tried the pickles I was disappointed that I didn't buy more. The pickle vendor was here and after sampling several we left with five quarts and I still wanted to buy more. Saturday was the annual Craft Fair and we made it to that also. We were getting some quick rain showers each day and Sunday we took the opportunity to do a little more maintenance. Cori got in the water and worked her way around the boat cleaning the waterline and I changed the oil and filter. I try to change it every 150 hours and it was overdue with all of the motoring we were doing. The next day we pulled anchor and moved across the Lower Bay and into New York Harbor. We motored up the Hudson River past the Statue of Liberty and dropped anchor next to Ellis Island for the night with a view of lower Manhattan. The anchorage had a bit of a roll with the wind and currents changing and the wakes from the many ferry's and other boats going by. In the evening it calmed down a lot for a quiet night. In the morning the city was blanketed with smoke from the Canadian forest fires.
Our next move was to go up the East River to Long Island Sound. There is a narrow area where the Harlem River joins the East River called Hell Gate that is a problem. The current can run over four knots and if you are in a sailboat going five knots it is a slow and very rough ride. It is important to time your transit so that the current is with you. We hung out for the morning and after lunch we made our move going up the East River. The trip starts by going past the Battery and the Financial District, under the Brooklyn Bridge, going past the UN Building and the watching the city skyline. We caught about a three knot current at Hell Gate and were swiftly moved up the river to Long Island Sound. Our destination was Port Washington. Port Washington is what we call a "cruiser friendly town". They have most of the services we need, offer free moorings for your first night, a water taxi to take you to shore, and several docks to tie up to when you bring your dinghy in. We have stayed here before. One of our plans was to take the train from here into the city for some sightseeing. The more we talked about it we decided to forgo the trip until later, either on the return trip or next season. We have made several trip into town for groceries, the farmers market, hardware store and to take care of some banking.
We plan to stay for a couple more days then start visiting locations along the Sound. We have modified our plans to not go farther than Martha's Vineyard and possibly Nantucket before turning around and working our way back.
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